Imagine living your life feeling fit and healthy, then having your world flipped upside down with a single scan. This is the reality for Carmen Keogh, a 33-year-old fly-in, fly-out worker from Brisbane, who found herself battling stage four metastatic cancer against all odds.

Carmen thought she was invincible—until one routine check-up turned into a life-changing moment. In late 2024, a PET scan revealed that her body was riddled with tumors lurking beneath the surface, a shocking discovery that left her in disbelief. “Are you sure that’s my scan?” she recalled thinking in a daze, as she learned about the spots on her liver, lungs, lymph nodes, subcutaneous tissue, and bones.

But there’s more to Carmen’s story than just her diagnosis. It’s believed her cancer began with an itchy mole that she had removed seven years ago. Doctors at the time assured her it was harmless, yet Carmen, aware of her cousin’s similar experience with melanoma, insisted on having it removed. The results came back as a Clark Level IV melanoma, but after treatment, she was told it hadn’t spread. Little did she know that her body was already silently preparing for a much bigger battle.

After undergoing a second mole removal, Carmen discovered that she carried a rare gene mutation, making her highly susceptible to cancer. Fast forward seven years, and her worst fears became reality when the cancer returned with a vengeance. Despite the absence of any obvious symptoms, the extent of her tumors was staggering. She underwent five rounds of immunotherapy, but sadly, none of it worked. “Unfortunately it wasn't working... the cancer had progressed,” she exclaimed, feeling the weight of her reality close in on her.

With limited options left, she started taking therapy tablets that came with their own set of alarming side effects. Luckily, those side effects have subsided, and treatments have resulted in visible reductions of the tumors in her skin. But Carmen knows that this battle is far from over; she may soon build a resistance to the treatment, and the prognosis remains grim. The five-year survival rate for stage four metastatic cancer in Australia stands at less than 25 percent, a statistic that looms over her like a heavy shadow.

Yet, despite everything, Carmen juggles her full-time job at Hail Creek, an open-cut mine in Queensland's Isaac Region, with endless medical appointments. Incredibly, she manages to keep her spirits high, fueled by the memory of her mother, who lost her own battle with ovarian cancer when Carmen was just 17. “Don’t ignore your body even if you feel healthy, keep up with regular checks and trust your gut if something feels off,” she advises, a testament to her resilience and wisdom born from personal heartache.

To help combat the rising costs of her medical care, which include potential alternative treatments and clinical trials (some costing upwards of $90,000), Carmen’s loved ones launched a GoFundMe campaign. They wrote, “Fighting cancer is hard enough—but fighting to afford to stay alive is an impossible weight.” They emphasize that Carmen deserves a fighting chance and continues to hope for a future, including plans for a European holiday and dreams of raising a family.

With every passing day, Carmen is not just facing her diagnosis; she is fighting for her life—and encouraging others to take their health seriously. Her story is a powerful reminder that sometimes, it's our instincts that lead us to the answers we desperately need.